It’s the holiday season and as such we’ve chosen to choose…no…curate five completely playable video games in no particular order that really capture the yuletide spirit. Most of them may be hard to track down, but if you have a local game shop near you, they definitely should be acquirable in time for break. If not, there are some great playthroughs of each of them on YouTube.

NUMBER ONE

PARASITE EVE — SQUARE - PS

One of the most important survival horror titles to grace the Sony Playstation, “Parasite Eve” tells the story of one New York Police Department rookie as she works to uncover this relatively evil plot to take over the world by exploiting mitochondria. Honestly, the plot doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, but it has a great cast of characters, interesting turn-based-shooting and a shockingly well-realized New York City on Christmas Eve.

NUMBER TWO

BLUE STINGER — CLIMAX GRAPHICS - DREAMCAST

Preface: This game is really not actually that great to play and is in fact pretty not amazing. That being said, it’s very fun to appreciate as a relic of old game design, poor UI and controls, and exceedingly high-waisted jeans on male characters. It was the ‘90s.

The big selling point of “Blue Stinger,” another survival horror experience, is the entire game is set on Christmas, and the setting is built to reflect that. Giant images of Santa and sugarplums decorate the neon billboards of the market district, snow covers every outdoor arena and a very loud, very repetitive, very fast holiday jingle plays for hours on end.

It’s an experience.

NUMBER THREE

OVERWATCH — BLIZZARD ENTERTAINMENT - PS4/ONE/PC

While technically not a holiday game, every winter “Overwatch” reskins its maps and modes to reflect the season. A snow covered King’s Row and new game modes like “Mei’s Snowball Fight” make an appearance, while seasonal costumes become available in loot-boxes. The event typically only runs for a few weeks so it’s important to hop on this one while you can.

NUMBER FOUR

BATMAN RETURNS — KONAMI - SNES/GENESIS

As everyone already knows, “Batman Returns” is the best Christmas movie ever made, no exceptions. It just so happens that its video game adaptation is also a really good time. Available on both the SNES and the Genesis, “Batman Returns” is a side-scrolling adventure through the snowy streets of Gotham as the caped-crusader takes on The Penguin and all of his minions. The Genesis one is widely regarded as a better game, featuring different level styles and a more fleshed out story, but any version you find is a relatively strong experience.

NUMBER FIVE

DIE HARD TRILOGY — PROBE ENTERTAINMENT - PS/SATURN/WINDOWS

As everyone already knows, “Die Hard” is the best Christmas movie ever made, no exceptions. Each game offers different experiences, with the first being a third person shooter/hostage rescue simulator in Nakatomi Plaza, the second being a light-gun shooter like “Time Crisis,” and the third being a “Crazy Taxi”-style driving game. With so many different game types, there’s something here for every fan of John McClane.

Britton Rozzelle is the Executive Editor for The Spectator. He can be reached at edinboro.spectator@gmail.com.

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